Brutalist Architecture Discussion Thread!

[Saint Andrew 6]

http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=108793

 

This is more of a modern styled building but it looks a little brutalist because of the ponderous appearance due to exterior wall made of gray colored precast panels.

 

It's the Desjardins Tower in Montreal and it's 40 floors high. Not phenomenal but still okay to look at.

 

 

And an other one from beautiful Montreal, Habitat 67.  Emporis describes it as a great example of brutalist style, although it's not a highrise you can still see why.

 

http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=135783

 

 

And finnally for my Montreal trio the Mount-Royal Center.

 

http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=126072

[GaryReggae 80]

Yes, those are great St Andrew!  I particularly like Habitat 67, that's a crazy building!

[Saint Andrew 6]

Here's an other one for you then

 

Its the Bonaventure Place, it's pretty brutalist yet only 17 floors. The best thing about it though is the Hilton Penthouse hotel on the top floors, with a heated year-round rooftop pool. Nice!

 

http://www.emporis.com/en/il/pc/?id=112350&aid=8&sro=1

and

http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=YULBHHF

[GaryReggae 80]

Wow yes, that IS a Brutalist building!  Thanks for sharing it!

[p2h5 3]

Two more from London:

The Tower Thistle Hotel:

 

 

 

 

Nice setting, shame about the building.  I don't know how on earth they got permission to build that, so close to Tower Bridge.

 

Also the Royal Free Hospital:

 

 

 

 

It looks like a giant medical/first aid cross from the air.

[Hanson784 165]

Don't forget about the Ford Foundation Building in New York,

www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=287710

[quito 0]

My aunt died in the Stony Brook University Hospital, actually.

Also, the CLA building at Cal Poly Pomona was featured in the film Gattaca. If anyone recognizes it.



So, here at Stanford University we have several so-called 'brutalist' buildings. About as brutalist as suburban California gets, anyway.

Meyer Library (1966) arose out of concerns that Stanford undegraduates weren't avid readers. Ironically, it is now largely despised by undergraduates because it blocks the route between many residences and the academic buildings. It has a very imposing presence because it is so huge in relation to the surrounding low-rise buildings, and the split windows within each level create the impression that there are more stories than there actually are.


The Graudate School of Business (1966) is one of the most technically brutalist structures on campus.

Herrin Laboratories (1967)


Durand Building (1969), originally the Space Engineering Center


We have six residential towers (1971) that are actually adaptations of Le Corbusier's skyscrapers. Below is Blackwelder Tower.


The Law School (1975)


Terman Engineering Center (1977) was designed for low-tech energy efficiency, maximixing the use of skylights, cross-ventilation, and modular walls.




And on a final note: In London, I can't believe that no one has mentioned the Westminster Bridge Island Block yet.

[GaryReggae 80]

Here are some Brutalist tower blocks from Southampton:

Redbridge Towers (on the STEX as well!)



Student housing tower, Swaythling (VERY Brutalist!):

[Compromise 1]

There are some very nice brutalist buildings yet there are some very ugly ones.

[GingerBlokey 30]

Focus On ...
Great Yarmouth Central Library, Tollhouse Street, Yarmouth

Surrounding buildings: Salvation Army, Queen Elizabeth House, The Tolhouse, The South Quay Estate and The Port HQ

Built: Unsure

Usage: Library, Lecutre Hall and Gallery


That font that IS Brutalism


There it is again


That tiling


Wood Cladding


The car park and staff enterance


Main enterance


More woodern cladding on the staff enterance

[GingerBlokey 30]

Other Brutalist style buidlings in Great Yarmouth

Havenbridge House, North Quay


Market Gates Shopping Centre and Bus Station, Temple Road


Marina Leisure Centre, Marine Parade
(Barriers due to a recent fire)

[Vlakhaas 13]

I thought you may like to see this ... the CSX Academy - Bates Polytech ...

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//CSX%20Acadamy%20-%20Bates%20Polytech.jpg align=baseline>

 

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//CSX%20Acadamy%20-%20Bates%20Polytech_n.jpg align=baseline>

[p2h5 3]

This building is a real shocker.  It somehow got permisson in the 1970s to be built, in London, even though it flouts all planning laws.  It is next to Hyde Park, and it ruins the tree-scape as it is about the only building which can be seen from the middle of the park, rising up above the trees, as nearly all the other skyscrapers in London have been delibrately situated away from the park.  And the really weird thing is that it is an Army barracks, the building is called the Knightsbridge Barracks, and even more strange is the stables for the horses is in the large section at the top, and the horses have to be taken up and down by lift.  I can't imagine what on earth the thinking behind that was , but it is real 60s/70s stuff.

 

The architect was Sir Basil Spence, who died in 1976, but designed many brutalist buildings, like this Swimming pool, library and leisure centre in London:

 

 

 

 

 

This building 'The Beehive' in Wellington, NZ:

 

 

This old govermnent building in London:

 

 

 

 

 

[tf923 0]

Since this is SimCity where we love all things skyscraperish, here's the world's tallest pre-cast post-tension concrete (aka brutalist) structure located in my hometown of Jacksonville Florida.

You don't find too many brutalist skyscrapers being built anymore. The visible concrete exoskeleton you see is also the only support holding the building up. Most skyscrapers have a steel skeleton inside that holds up the building, while everything you see on the outside is actually just cosmetic fluff. Not this building. You can see all of the engineering of the building exposed. The interior is hollow with no support structures, allowing full use by the occupant of whatever they want to build inside.

[GaryReggae 80]

Hmmn yes, very interesting.  Actually, for fire safety reasons, a lot of Brutalist buildings that LOOK like they have a concrete exoskeleton actually don't, the structural frame is internal and the 'exoskeleton' was added for effect.

Some very interesting photos there folks. 

 

Gingerblokey: Yes, I was on holiday in Great Yarmouth recently and I experienced the delights of the Market Gates centre!  I didn't see that library though but it's lovely, it's almost in original condition with the fantastic 50s/60s font (does anyone know where I can get hold of a font like that?  Rockwell Extra Bold Italic is the closest I have found and that's what I use when batting (indeed this font features heavily in my Television Centre which is in the same 1950s style as GY library).  Market Gates has a Brutalist design except I guess it was built in the late 70s when raw concrete was going out of fashion so they used bricks instead...but certainly the narrow windows and the design of the rather dingy bus station beneath is Brutalist.  Also, the Atlantis Tower uses to be Brutalist until the Postmodernists came along and made it look like some ancient temple.  The swimming pool is interesting as well, there are quite a few swimming pools with this kind of design.

 

Vlakhaas: Yes, the Bates Polytechnic is very good and Brutalist, the vegetation on the balcony reminds me a bit of building like The Barbican.

 

P2H5: I've never noticed that barracks building before but it is a bit out of place there!  I love that swimming pool complex though, where abouts in London is it?  It's Brutalist idealism and I love the wooden spiral staircases in the lobby, they are so typical of these buildings.  It is quite rare to see an original 1960s interior in these places as often they've been refurbished.  1960s stuff has so much charachter.

[p2h5 3]

The barracks is south of Hyde Park, on Kensington Road (i think), and the leisure centre/library is by Swiss Cottage roundabout.

[Glenni 1,444]

Date: 7/26/2005 8:52:08 AM Author: p2h5

This building is a real shocker.  It somehow got permisson in the 1970s to be built, in London, even though it flouts all planning laws.  It is next to Hyde Park, and it ruins the tree-scape as it is about the only building which can be seen from the middle of the park, rising up above the trees, as nearly all the other skyscrapers in London have been delibrately situated away from the park.  And the really weird thing is that it is an Army barracks, the building is called the Knightsbridge Barracks, and even more strange is the stables for the horses is in the large section at the top, and the horses have to be taken up and down by lift.  I can't imagine what on earth the thinking behind that was , but it is real 60s/70s stuff.

The architect was Sir Basil Spence, who died in 1976, but designed many brutalist buildings, like this Swimming pool, library and leisure centre in London:

 

 

 

 

 

 

quote>

 

frogface told me that this was his next  midrise building he was going to bat

[GingerBlokey 30]

Market Gates has alot of concrete but also a lot of briks. The post-modernists didnt quite ruin the Oasis Tower. they just stuck a new fascade (curtain wall) on but left the back and sides alone. Hmm on the font thing I d/led Roxwell Extra Bold and that seems as close as I can get.

[Glenni 1,444]

Date: 7/25/2005 5:00:13 PM Author: Vlakhaas

I thought you may like to see this ... the CSX Academy - Bates Polytech ...

quote>

are you going to post attach or release that building?it is perfecty for my city!

[Yellowlab 11]

Brutalism is just too...brutal...for my tastes.

 

However, to each his own...it has been interesting seeing the buildings you all have dug up.

[Compromise 1]

Date: 7/26/2005 8:52:08 AM Author: p2h5

This building is a real shocker.  It somehow got permisson in the 1970s to be built, in London, even though it flouts all planning laws.  It is next to Hyde Park, and it ruins the tree-scape as it is about the only building which can be seen from the middle of the park, rising up above the trees, as nearly all the other skyscrapers in London have been delibrately situated away from the park.  And the really weird thing is that it is an Army barracks, the building is called the Knightsbridge Barracks, and even more strange is the stables for the horses is in the large section at the top, and the horses have to be taken up and down by lift.  I can't imagine what on earth the thinking behind that was , but it is real 60s/70s stuff.

width=799 name=Knightsbridge Barracks>

The architect was Sir Basil Spence, who died in 1976, but designed many brutalist buildings

 

That was definatley not one of Sir Basil Spence's more finer creations.

[Glenni 1,444]

Date: 6/23/2005 9:01:30 AM Author: GLENNI

I was wondering wich style this building is.it's From My hometown Haugesund(30k),Norway it is  8 floors, and i am thinking of batting it. So wich style is it?

quote>

 

i found out from this building earlier on this thread that what this building  is dressedin on the concrete is is small stones one centimeter in diameter stones all covering the surface except the columns!lol !weird!

[p2h5 3]

The Met Life (formerly Pan-Am) building in New York is Brutalist in looks, and in the sense that it wasn't designed to look good, but to give the maximum possible office space.  It is, in fact, the office building with the higest volume (ie. most office space) in the world:

 

 

http://www.skyscrapers.cn/images/na/usa/ny/MetLife_Building3.jpg width=363>

[vidioman 21]

Thunder Bay has several good examples of Brutalism, but they're all smaller buildings. Many of them are offices of local engineering companys and shipping companies.

 

My favourite sub-style of Brutalism is grain elevators. Gint, monolithic things on the waterfront, and only 6 windows among them all!

 

Some of my favourites are the Lippo Centre in Hong Kong ,  Birkshire House in Toronto , and an apartment building in Sarnia. In this picture , it's the long brown one in the middle (or so)

[p2h5 3]

I keep on thinking of more and more stuff.  Trellick tower in London, which although it looks cheap, actually contains quite expensive apartments:

 

 

 

The British Petroleum Centre in Cape Town:

 

 

width=767>

 

Although i think that BP have upgraded, and now LG use it.

 

The control tower at Aberdeen airport, looks like a sort of Brutalist wedding cake:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Compromise 1]

Intresting, strange what peaple deside to build in life.

[wallasey 8]

Just been doing Work Expeirance in Manchester. Now, the Picadilly Hotel is rightfully a part of the brutalist era ( I will endevour to find a pic of it) but the city has quite a few brutalist tower blocks.

Anyone remember my post about View 146 in Liverpool ? (the pics of yuppy flats, previously council flats) well theres one in the local property mag going for........wait for it.............

[p2h5 3]

Date: 8/1/2005 7:15:49 AM Author: wallasey

Just been doing Work Expeirance in Manchester. Now, the Picadilly Hotel is rightfully a part of the brutalist era ( I will endevour to find a pic of it) but the city has quite a few brutalist tower blocks.

Anyone remember my post about View 146 in Liverpool ? (the pics of yuppy flats, previously council flats) well theres one in the local property mag going for........wait for it.............

[GAT-X105 3]

There's a couple brutalist-ish buildings at my school.

This is the Student Center. It's mostly obscured by trees, but the sides of the building overhang quite a bit, and it's mostly concrete. But having big windows, and painting it white make it much less imposing.


This is the Math and Chemistry building. I think the big windows, and the brick instead of poured concrete make it less-ugly.

There's an office building nearby, across the street from a shoping mall, that for years was a big brown ugly thing. I always thought it must be unpleasant to work in, with small windows and thick, rough walls. But recently it was painted gray and white and it looks a lot better.

[slightlyslack 20]

This is I.M. Pei's Johnson Art Museum at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.  It is one of the most polarizing buildings on campus, but it's set apart from the Romanesque and Gothic Revival liberal arts buildings and dormitories, so its style makes sense in that context.

 

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